


The ground under my feet, the clouds above my head

by Anchan (Anchan_thevolleyballplayer)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Awkward Flirting (?), Camp Counsellors, Denial of Feelings, Eventual kissing, Excessive Descriptions of Nature, Fluff, Han Jisung | Han is Clumsy, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Nature, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, developing feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchan_thevolleyballplayer/pseuds/Anchan
Summary: Minho’s been a scout since he can remember, nature being his second home while Jisung – Jisung is a danger to himself as much as to the nature, a place Minho’s come to love. It only makes sense to keep an eye on the walking disaster, protecting his home.Until Jisung becomes a part of it.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, background Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix - Relationship
Comments: 20
Kudos: 95
Collections: MINSUNG FICATHON: Round One; 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [MINSUNG FICATHON](http://twitter.com/minsungficathon), for PROMPT **P072**
> 
> Summer camps are a very underappreciated settings so I’m here to contribute to the lack of camping fics we have. I can totally relate to Jisung here but despite me and nature not being very compatible, I love summer camps a lot as they mean games and competitions! 
> 
> I actually have tons of Summer Camp AUs but none for Minsung, quite surprisingly, so I felt the need to change that.

They arrive at the camp in their respective fashion; Minho by his family car, Seungmin is already waiting at the parking lot, his personal Subaru parked nearby.

He’s showered with tasks the second he steps out of the car; they chat as they manoeuvre boxes around, catching up on the months spent apart like every year. Seungmin is graduating high school this year, applying for as many colleges as possible. Minho doesn’t have much to update the younger on, his life outside of nature is as boring as it can get.

But it’s fun, nevertheless, to listen about Seungmin’s life and share a few shenanigans from his classes here and there. It’s such a pity they don’t have time to hang out lately, but that will change if Seungmin gets accepted to Seoul for his further studies.

The younger seems to be just as thrilled about the possibility, though he doesn’t let it show. Minho knows him well enough to read between the teasing and quipped responses whenever he brings the topic up. “I’d love to see this attitude daily.”

Seungmin mentions a new recruit just as they’re rounding the cafeteria. It’s a sudden change of topics – they were just about to pry into Seungmin’s love life – and Minho would tease him about being suspicious, would the news not steal his attention.

“I haven’t seen him in person yet,” Seungmin clarifies, “but Felix said he’s a nice guy.”

One thing is clear – Felix wouldn’t hang out with someone who _isn’t_ a nice guy, so at least they’re not dealing with a self-centred asshole this year. But it still comes as a surprise as it’s not an everyday occurrence that they get another pair of hands to help around.

They’re not at the top of the most popular camps anymore, not after the seniors have retired and left the camp in their clueless hands. They learnt the ins and outs of it by now, but they have a long way to go before they can truly restore the quality of the camp experience.

Felix was their latest successful addition – but that was two years ago.

And he’s always been good at persuading, so if he’s set his eyes on someone who could be of good use, then they might as well celebrate. Seungmin seems to think the same.

Felix and the new recruit arrive in a car together. They can make out a silhouette in the passenger seat from when the car passes by them on the main path, and they follow the car in anticipation to see them in person.

Once Felix pulls up and the engines die, a person stumbles out of the passenger door. An appreciative thought towards his cheerful appearance passes Minho’s head before he watches the boy trip over his feet and almost fall to his knees.

“A great first impression,” he notes.

The blonde boy seems to catch the quiet remarks, and now his head shoots up, embarrassment showing on his face. His huge eyes threaten to fall out of his head, if it weren’t for the chubby cheeks holding them up.

He… definitely shouldn’t be staring.

Holding back a laugh, he tears his eyes away from the blonde to focus on Felix who’s as enthusiastic as ever, jumping around to greet them both.

Seungmin simply orders them around and Minho doesn’t pay them further attention, spare for laughing when the boy abruptly asks for the toilets.

“We’re in nature, man,” Felix teases him. “Just do what you have to do.”

“I’m not letting the kids see me pee,” he insists, cheeks flaming red – their default colour.

Something about his attitude is honestly amusing – maybe it’s the way he obviously doesn’t belong here. If Minho’s learned something about humans through his 20 years of observation and 12 years of scout training, it is how to recognise a greenhorn.

This boy is _definitely_ one. 

Felix keeps howling. “They won’t come until tomorrow, and trust me, you’re gonna see at least two of them pee in the first 24 hours.”

Then he proceeds to accompany him to the main building where the closest toilets are. Minho watches them only half of the way, chuckling in disbelief when the newbie freaks out at the sight of a beetle. Felix pulls him to the side, laughing.

“You’ve got to be joking, right?” Minho shoots Seungmin a raised eyebrow, but he fails to hide an amused smile. “He looks like he’d never set foot into nature.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I have a say in what Felix does,” Seungmin shrugs.

 _That’s not true_ , Minho thinks, the freckled angel just has him wrapped around his finger. Felix could as much as rob a bank and Seungmin would still defend him. “Besides, Felix promised to set him in so as long as they don’t burn the place down, I’m fine with another helping hand.”

That’s, admittedly, a fair point. They’ve always been a little short on people, especially since being left on their own by their seniors. Having another hopeful to help around and ease the stress of their backs might not be a bad idea, after all. Especially if he’s not the one responsible for him.

Seungmin and him raised the current team of recruits patiently and through the worst, and it’s about time to accept a new expansion. If Felix takes it on himself this time, it will be nothing more than fun to watch him struggle.

While Seungmin checks in with the kitchen and administrative deals that Minho has no interest in understanding, he traces the camping areal for any stray animals and reviews the cabins to take notes about their state.

He enjoys the routine, volunteering for the role each year. Nothing calms him as much as falling into step with nature, letting himself get carried away by the gentle rocking of the trees and following the lazy pace of the clouds.

He loves the woods, loves the campground, and loves the calm afternoon which has welcome them today. The one day of the year when he gets to enjoy this place in all its silent glory.

He’s been counting months until the semester ends and he’s free to visit his home – his real house, as well, he missed his cats too, but mostly this place.

Alas, the cabins won’t review themselves. He will have plenty of time for daydreaming once everything is prepared for tomorrow’s arrival of their campers.

Many of them are regulars and seeing the kids each year makes Minho unexpectedly happy. He wonders if the counsellors acknowledged his presence too, before he applied for the position of a counsellor himself – did they watch him grow up the same way he watches the kids now?

Maybe it’s just him. He’s been told he takes his interests too seriously, but it doesn’t move him enough to change. Why should he, instead of watching the world around him do so?

Most of the cabins stayed unaffected during the year, but an ant pathway or mould outbreak are always good to note. Minho used to hate the former when he was a child and knows some campers don’t appreciate the intrusion either.

But it’s not like they have a different solution than switching rooms.

As he rounds the last row of cabins, ears perked for any signs of squirrels or other visitors of wilderness, he catches a familiar voice carried through the meadow.

When he turns around to face the residential area, he easily recognises Felix and the new kid, strolling around and having fun. Their hands are empty, unlike they should be.

It occurs to him that Felix doesn’t seem to be taking the coaching seriously, both friends lost in their thoughts instead of helping around with carrying supplements. He can’t say he’s expected anything different, though. After all, Felix is and always will be their excited baby – so what if he gets carried away sometimes.

And the newbie… well, someone should probably take him off Felix’ shoulders.

Minho watches the two mess around for a while longer, performing little dances and laughing until the blonde trips over his own feet and almost falls. Minho shakes his own head at the ridiculousness.

Then, Felix waves him off, entering the administration building, and leaving the other kid alone.

Minho scoffs, knowing the younger is probably looking for some private time with Seungmin; and then he laughs because he didn’t realise he’s been staring until the kid turns around, stumbles back and offers him a shaky wave.

Minho returns it without much thought, and without any further plan in mind, he begins to approach the newbie.

He could at least introduce himself if they’re about to spend the summer break together.

He notes the way his cheeks heat up as he approaches closer, one hand carding through his hair as he shuffles his feet nervously. It makes him look even smaller than he is.

“H-hey there,” the blonde stammers out sheepishly.

He looks so out of place; Minho wonders how he even got the idea to come here. A worn-out hoodie (in the middle of summer, early noon, _for God’s sake_ ), tight jeans with holes, and a pair of white sneakers – he almost pities him, that outfit won’t stay in one piece too long.

“Greetings, tenderfoot,” he shoots back when he notices the other staring at him in terror. “Hope you brought a change of clothes.”

The newbie widens his eyes, alarmed, looking at himself for good two minutes before giving Minho the most oblivious look he’s ever seen in his life. “Excuse me?”

Oh man. “Nothing,” he shakes his head, “scouts learn from their mistakes.”

Silence stretches. Minho doesn’t mind, it doesn’t feel like an awkward one – not to him, at least. 

“I, uh, I’m Jisung,” the boy finally speaks up and holds out his hand hopefully. His eyes light up when Minho actually shakes it. “I’m Minho.”

“Have you, um, been here before?”

“I spent half of my life here,” Minho answers honestly, then wonders if that was too direct, but while Jisung seems to be taken aback, his eyes hold some understanding, awe.

“I’ve never been to a place like this,” Jisung admits, huffing out a laugh. “You’ve probably figured that out already. You’d have seen me around.”

“What exactly brings you here?” he asks then, because he _does_ want an answer to the thought more than anything. He doesn’t seem to be the type to shy away from questions.

And yet his cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink at being addressed so boldly. 

“Good memories,” he blurts out. “I want to make some, instead of spending the holidays sitting on my butt and watching youtube. Not as fun as it sounds, long term.”

Minho bursts out laughing at the ridiculous confession. “That doesn’t sound like fun at all, to me.”

“It is,” Jisung insists but he keeps laughing too. Then he quiets down, the edge of his voice becoming tender. “Just felt like, you know, I wanted to actually be a part of something.”

To that, Minho hums in approval. 


	2. Chapter 2

The upcoming day is much busier than the previous one; unlike other days, their alarms aren’t as strict as 7 o’clock, but there’s a lot of work to finish before the campers arrive before noon.

They’ve talked through the battle plan in the morning after breakfast, reminding each other of the same routine they’ve been going through for years on end; then repeating everything important (sans the jokes and teasing) when Jisung deigned to finally show up.

It has been on Minho, who resisted waking the younger up in favour of watching him huff in his sleep. The boy looked tired, likely from the freshly ended semester rather than the car ride. Minho didn’t have it in himself to stir him up, so he left the cabin without him.

The reckless decision is worth the hassle of repeating everything twice, that’s for sure – the sight of Jisung with his bed hair and dressed in pyjamas is absolutely hilarious (and adorable, if Minho squints enough).

After waking up enough to process words, Jisung seems to accommodate quickly and soon, he’s offering his own activity ideas and witty inquiries about the schedule.

Needless to say, by the time the meeting is over, they all know Jisung is prepared enough.

All except Seungmin claim their respective teams and begin with outdoor activities, getting to know the kids and letting them play while they either play along or sit back and steal glances at the other team leaders, watching them struggle.

(It’s mostly Minho watching Felix and Jisung who are sitting afar, talking through the basics of their upcoming activities and Jisung stealing nervous glances ever since he realises Minho’s eyes on them.)

The kids require most of his attention, however, so he doesn’t get to see much while he’s competing – that only motivates him to win faster. Sitting at the winners’ bench, he has a good view on Jisung’s team struggling with collecting items and running around.

He witnesses another blow to the younger’s ego when he falls face-first into the ground and even from the poor angle, he can see Jisung lamenting at his torn jeans.

He’s probably sporting a bruise underneath.

_Told you they weren’t a good idea._

Minho doesn’t stop watching him even as their activities continue, laughing his ass off when Jisung continues to fail at various primitive tasks, though never once he offers a helping hand until Jisung absolutely begs for it.

“Hyung, that was cheating,” the younger claims after he’s been tackled onto the ground during a sack-hopping race. It’s the one teams leaders get to participate in, for their own entertainment – and the amusement of the children when most of them fail horribly.

It’s one of the very few camp activities Minho doesn’t ace in. It’s fun, nevertheless.

Minho keeps on laughing, not making a single move to stand up, nor to roll off Jisung. “Hardly cheating, I’m at disadvantage now, too.”

“Well, you’re also very not subtly staring at me,” Jisung whines, and Minho doesn’t know what to feel when his hot breath lands on his face. “Please get off, I can’t breathe.”

The callout makes his knees weak for a second, so he’s glad he’s already lying down.

When he finally scrambles to his feet, the race is almost over, with Felix and Seungmin hopping to the finish line somewhere in the distance – there’s no point in continuing for them, so he takes his time helping Jisung back to his feet, even going as far as brushing grass off his back and shoulders.

Jisung mumbles a tiny ‘thank you’ then steps out of the sack and carries it aside to where his team is cheering and booing at the same time. Minho follows him with his eyes.

The many “Jisung-ssi, you didn’t even try!” are mixed with “We should have won!” and the weak “Don’t worry, we’ll win the next game!” that Jisung offers back does not sound convincing in the slightest.

It reminds Minho of his earlier years, when he was still a little insecure and confused by the attention he received from his team, vulnerable to all the comments and expectations.

_Well, you still have a lot to learn, Han Jisung._

Jisung collapses onto his bed once the afternoon activities are done with, getting a much-needed break before dinner.

Minho follows into their cabin, settling himself on the floor under his bed, since he’s lazy to take off his clothes. Maybe he just doesn’t feel so shameless around Jisung (he would have totally stripped bare just to annoy Seungmin and keep him away from their room).

“The kids are so exhausting,” the younger groans, falling back onto the mattress with a soft thud. “Why are they so demanding? Were we also this demanding when we were kids, Minho?”

“I don’t know,” he returns, uninterested.

Silence stretches. Once again, he enjoys it more than despises it, and Jisung seems to be tired enough not to mention it either. So, there _is_ some progress, after all.

Looking back at the afternoon, Jisung isn’t a completely lost case – what he doesn’t know about nature, he makes up with an optimistic attitude. And although he struggles with almost any simple task given, he has an understanding for the kids. Not all their recruits do.

“There’s a lot to learn, huh?” he speaks up, turns his head to watch Jisung put a little too much effort into heaving himself up and onto his forearms.

“Who would have said I actually need to remember their names,” the younger deadpans.

“You’re kidding,” Minho narrows his eyes.

“Yes,” Jisung smiles. “It’s quite fun, actually. Just a lot of moving around, more than I’m used to.”

Ah, right – a city folk. Of course the nature is taking a toll on someone so foreign to it. You need to find your peace with the forest in order to enjoy its bearings, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

It took Minho years to get accustomed to everything this place has to offer, but he’s more than happy for the wait. Jisung will appreciate it too if he stays long enough.

Would the younger learn to appreciate it as much as Minho does?

“This is how you live life you couch potato,” he shakes his head, chasing away his thoughts. “Seriously, you’ve never been to a camp? Nature?”

“I-I have,” Jisung defends himself weakly, “not to a camp, just the nature, but I thought ‘it won’t be so bad’, right? And it really isn’t.”

“So there’s nothing you miss?”

“Uh, there’s this one, internet access,” he admits, smiling knowingly, “but I’m good otherwise.”

The glee he’s radiating is contagious in the exact same way as the serenity that enters his body when he closes his eyes and lets himself get lost in the smell of pines. 

“I can’t believe you’re real,” Minho chuckles. “Who needs internet when you have nature? If you want a good scenery, this one is worth more than a few still pictures, if you want music, just close your eyes and listen.” Minho does just that, noting the faint noise of kids playing outside, a nearby bird, the wind that carries through the open window. “You have everything here, all laid right in front of you, vulnerable and open.”

 _Here,_ it’s right here if he concentrates enough… 

Jisung doesn’t answer, and the silence that falls upon them is both calming and weirdly tense – Minho only notices the latter after a moment, when he doesn’t hear Jisung shuffle and lie back, hardly even breathe.

When he opens his eyes and gives him a questioning look, he finds Jisung still looking at him.

A lone butterfly sets off in his chest.

“What?” he croaks out, and watches as the younger flushes red before he scrambles to his feet and excuses himself to the toilet.

It doesn’t make sense to Minho, the sudden change of atmosphere, but he takes it as a sign to move on with his thoughts. He takes in the grumbling of his stomach. Right, dinner.

When Jisung finally exits the bathroom and returns into the room, he lingers by their beds, _eyes still fixed on Minho,_ before he whips around and approaches the front door.

“You know, you’re totally right,” he says with one last glance at the older; Minho holds eye contact for long enough to make Jisung visibly shrink. “I should observe the nature more, so I’m gonna do just that.”

And with those words, he slams the cabin door in hurry and disappears – with him, the tense atmosphere dissipates too.

Jisung doesn’t return until dinner, and then even _to_ dinner, which makes Minho slightly nervous, but he doesn’t address it until someone else does. Instead, he occupies himself with listening to and teasing their youngest colleague.

Seungmin and Hyunjin hold an argument over the main dish at the other side of their table.

The only one looking as restless as he is Felix, constantly looking around as if he were keeping an eye on the kids, but Minho knows better. He can relate, after all. 

“Have you seen him, hyung?” the younger whispers softly when he leans towards Minho’s side to shield their conversation from the rest. His hand lingers on Minho’s thigh, just as tense as he feels.

“I saw him leave our cabin, he said he’d go for a walk… it’s gotten dark,” Minho recapitulates, frowning when he realises he’s chewing on his bottom lip. _There’s nothing to worry about._

“He’s a self-sufficient adult, and the campground isn’t that big,” Seungmin concludes from the other side of the table, holding up the jar of pink flavoured tea.

Felix holds up his plastic glass and gulps it down. “Just saying someone might want to check up on him, you’ve seen how unlucky he can get.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “I know I said you’re responsible for him, but he’s not st–”

“I’ll go look for him,” Minho cuts him off, abruptly standing up and rattling the table when his thigh hits the surface. “We’ll be back in no time.”

Felix nods, relieved.

He doesn’t get to see Seungmin’s reaction because his eyes are already set on the door.

It rarely occurs to him how spacious the campground actually is – he knows every nook of it by memory, has walked across the grounds enough times to imprint them into the back of his eyelids. But it’s different, to walk with a purpose of getting somewhere, strolling around mindlessly, and looking for an alive subject that does _not_ belong into the settings.

He could be anywhere, and though he only knows Jisung for less than 48 hours, he suspect it has to do with danger and accidents if he hasn’t showed up until this late.

Or he could already be asleep in their cabin, too tired to care about dinner, to comprehend that he should at least announce where he’s going before hiding away.

However, he’s not in his bed and neither bathroom when Minho peaks into their cabin.

But he’s not calling his phone either and the outside area is quiet, so he probably isn’t dying.

Of course he isn’t.

Minho finds him by the further side of the field they use for sports and activities, almost wide enough to hide Jisung’s form entirely. He’s completely still, and at first, Minho isn’t even sure the distant log is a human – not until he notices Jisung swinging his feet.

He feels himself instantly deflate when he locates the younger.

It’s not his job to keep an eye on Jisung, but knowing he’d be sleeping alone without a presumably lost roommate is enough to keep his heart beating like a drum.

The closer he gets, the more he starts to notice that Jisung is humming to a song (his own shoulders relax at the acknowledgement that he isn’t hurt), and when he stands above him, he realises he was singing all along. Past tense, because he shuts his mouth as soon as he registers Minho in his peripheral vision. “H-hyung!”

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights, quite lost now that his comfort bubble snapped. He doesn’t seem to be aware of the time, of the way he worried everyone.

“How long do you plan on lying here?” Minho asks, but despite his inquiry, he crouches down next to him, peering over Jisung’s shoulder when he notices a notebook in his hand. “What are you doing?”

It’s too dark to properly see the haphazardly scribbled characters, but a few doodles around the margins of the paper stand out with their flowery lines.

“Ah- it’s nothing, just marking down my thoughts.”

“A diary?” Minho quirks up.

“Well, no, but close,” Jisung answers. He closes the notebook shut when he notices Minho intently studying its content, leaving the older with nothing else to focus on than his face – that seems to fluster him even more. “Why are you here?”

Minho stares at him in disbelief. “Because it’s dinner time and _you_ aren’t in the canteen.”

“Oh,” he gasps softly. “I didn’t notice.”

Neither of them move an inch, even after Jisung takes in the sky above them, and its significantly dark colour. The stars aren’t out yet, but the slightly dimmed light makes it harder to read the other’s expression clearly.

“Don’t you have your phone with you?” Minho bugs him further.

“You said I don’t need one in nature, that I should just absorb what it has to offer,” Jisung scoffs, almost _offended_ at Minho forgetting about his own advice. “I wanted to try.”

Okay, that’s actually kind of nice.

“Okay, then,” he approves, voice stretching out into a long hum. “Are you done absorbing now?”

The moment feels admittedly quite nice, the two of them getting absorbed by the smell of fresh grass and dirt underneath their thighs. The breeze is refreshingly chilly, and the crickets have also started singing their ode to the early evening.

Alas, they can’t leave the others waiting.

He spares Jisung one last questioning look before he heaves himself up. The younger follows suit, brushing off any lingering pieces of grass stuck to his butt.

“For now,” Jisung nods.

And they fall in step, heading back towards the cabins.


	3. Chapter 3

Day three of their camp schedule is always reserved for the treasure hunt. It’s the most popular activity right after campfires and flag hunts, not only among the campers, and they make the experience count.

While the game itself happens in the afternoon, their preparations start in the early morning, right after breakfast. They set off to the woods, leaving Felix and Hyunjin with the campers to play a drama and generally keeping the campers entertained while the rest of the counsellors takes their time preparing the event.

Since Felix is staying at the camp, Seungmin assigns Jisung under Minho’s care, and he only complains about it for good measures. When Jisung shows up to interrupt their conversation, he shoos Seungmin off before he can mention the teasing.

“You’ve done a good job yesterday, might as well use you now,” Seungmin shrugs, hinting at the sudden outburst of protectiveness and worry that probably showed on his sleeve at dinner. He’s glad Jisung didn’t see it, and for the confused stare he’s giving them both.

“You heard the boss,” he beckons Jisung. “You’re coming with me; he doesn’t deserve our attention.”

“I deserve to be spared of the enamoured glances,” Seungmin shoots back, at which Jisung actually chokes on his spit and drops everything he carries. What a good thing the breakable equipment is stored in Minho’s backpack.

He sighs and crouches down to help Jisung cradle everything into his arms. When he stands up, Seungmin is already gone, caught up with Jeongin in the front.

They walk in silence after that. Minho writes it off to Jisung putting too much effort into focusing on the load in his arms – it’s cute, noticing the younger tremble, catching a glimpse of his tongue peeking out from between his lips.

Maybe he should offer to help, but Jisung _needs_ to help around too if he wants to be treated as a counsellor rather than a lost camper. So he resorts to observing him in amusement.

Usually, whenever they’re strolling in the forest, Minho’s attention gradually dissipates in the wind, attracted by the sounds of breeze beckoning through the leaves and chirping birds, eyes drawn towards the verge of his vision – to where the trees start to blur in the distance.

Somehow, his attention keeps returning to the boy beside him, today. It’s the slightly distracting huffs of breath, the constant rustling dirt underneath their feet that doesn’t match his own pace, and the occasional hums and mumbles directed at no one in particular.

But Minho listens, even if he’s not supposed to.

He observes, taking into account any detail Jisung forgets to keep to himself as he busies himself with his thoughts. The adorable scrunch of his nose, for one.

Let’s not overlook the gentle flutter of his eyelashes, how he inflates his cheeks when he subconsciously pouts…

He doesn’t know how much time has passed since they’ve waved Jeongin off when he stopped to set up Felix’ spot, but it must have been at least twenty minutes, judging by the familiar picture of the forest around them. They’re about two hundred feet away from the placebo, which will serve as Minho’s check-point. 

Time flies fast when you’re having fun, huh?

“We’re almost on your mark now,” Minho notes, more to himself than anything. The statement catches Jisung’s attention, nevertheless, and the younger soon beams at him.

“Where?” Jisung looks around. “Everything here looks the same.”

To a newcomer, the woods may appear all in the same key, an unappealing humdrum of constant colours and shapes. But to Minho, each part of these woods are their own environment, clearly different from the previous one. If you focus on the delicate details like slightly turned branches and stumps, you can truly see the individual light. Even the paths all meander differently, in their own individual fashion. As simple as that, the forest becomes beautiful in one’s eye.

“What do you think we’re here for, the place needs to be prepared.”

Jisung groans but mirrors Minho when he puts down his load and starts unpacking their equipment. “Do you have an idea of what we’re gonna do?”

Minho chooses to ignore the useless question. “Yours is a limb race, right?”

“Uh, indeed, I think,” Jisung nods, pulling out his notebook and flipping it to the last page to check his instructions. He’s diligently written down everything they told him.

Minho sets up the collapsible stool and sets aside the aid box and another sack of hints and rewards. Never mind that Jisung was supposed to assemble his own spot.

“Then we just have to clean a portion of the path and collect some branches.”

Jisung folds his fingers into a scout pledge and points them to his forehead, chanting a small “roger” before he skips away to look for material.

He waves at Minho with a few short thick sticks in his hands, looking triumphant. That is, until one of the branches falls out of his grip and lands on his head. The older sighs at the grotesque sight, striding towards the younger to check him for injuries.

“I’m good,” Jisung mutters when he’s close enough to reach out and touch his hair; he does it anyway, ignoring Jisung’s protests. There’s no sign of blood nor bruises yet but his hair is soft to the touch, so he takes an extra moment to run his fingers through the blonde locks.

He’s smiling when he lets go. Jisung is, once again, blushing.

They sweep leaves with their feet and Minho drags one long branch to mark the start line, and another for the finish line while Jisung sets down onto the nearest log and fishes out a clipboard.

He decides not to bug him about not assisting with anything, after the previous incident.

And then, because everything is set, he reluctantly bids farewell.

Each team has their own time mark to set off, and unlike other games, they don’t go with counsellors. Instead, they all have a map of the woods in their backpacks and strict instructions to follow the Crêpe ribbons hung from trees and bushes along the designated path.

Minho and Jisung both have their own check-points where they challenge the teams, requesting to complete a particular game or activity in order to receive new directions and a hint to the main riddle which will lead them to the treasure.

Minho lowkey wants to see how Jisung is doing with his game but he also enjoys watching kids struggle with carrying eggs and he loves to show off his own skills.

The activities used for the treasure hunt aren’t constant but some keep being brought back year after year. Minho repeatedly insists on claiming eggs each year.

And he’s having the time of his life, honestly.

That is until the fourth or fifth team shows up a little sooner than he anticipated – and when he looks closely, the approaching silhouette turns out not to be a camper.

His amusement disappears very quickly at the sight of Jisung approaching him at a leisure pace, features clouded with worry. His heartbeat picks up, and he leaves his own seat in the placebo to rush across the clearing towards the younger.

When Jisung registers him in his peripheral vision, he visibly lights up. However, worry stays apparent in his eyes even when Minho stops mere inches apart, holding out his hand to the older’s concerned face. “It hurts.”

Minho squints at the skin, following Jisung’s directions towards his index finger. “I think I got a splinter, and I can’t get it out for the life of me.”

A relieves sigh escapes his own chest as he tugs on Jisung’s arm, leading him towards the placebo. He seats Jisung near the entrance and settles next to him, rummaging through his backpack to find his pocketknife and pull out the tweezers.

The younger stays silent as he waits for his orders, eyes trembling slightly.

“How old are you, five?” he huffs in frustration as he fumbles with the tweezers to remove the splinter. Jisung was right about it being stubbornly pinched into his skin, a little too deep.

“First, you should be carrying an aid-kit, what if one of the kids got hurt?” he fumes, because as much as he finds Jisung’s cluelessness adorable, they’re camp counsellors first and foremost, and they have _responsibility._

Jisung barely counts as responsible for his own self.

Which is not worrying him in the slightest, other than being frustrated at another human being so careless, it’s not because he’s Jisung. “Second, you could have called me or something, Seungmin even. You know he’s on the start line, ready to help. What do you think you have the ‘talkie for?”

Damn, the splinter really did its work thoroughly.

Jisung muffles a sniffle, shrinking in on himself until he looks more like a timid animal rather than an adult. The sudden movement triggers the now caught splinter to move towards the surface just enough to be pulled out completely.

“Third,” he starts again, now less pent up, thinking about reminding him that there are probably kids lining up at his standpoint, but then he looks up at Jisung and freezes because suddenly, he’s aware that Jisung is crying.

Tears are rolling down Jisung’s face in thick streams, staining his cheeks and threatening to fall down into the space between them. He scrunches his nose to hold back his snort.

And screw any responsibility for the kids, screw whatever he was about to say; all he’s capable of now is the overwhelming fondness and protectiveness that overtake his body and before he knows it, he’s cradling Jisung’s face with his palms, repeatedly brushing away the tears that roll down his round cheeks.

The gentle act seems to calm Jisung down a little, enough to quiet down and begin to hiccup as he forces himself to even his breathing. It doesn’t help much, but he’s doing his best.

Minho kind of wants to pull him closer.

“You’re really just a big baby, aren’t you?” he sighs, and reluctantly removes one hand from Jisung’s face to pull out a pack of tissues. He wipes Jisung’s face tenderly, softly padding the skin under his eyes and blowing his nose. Jisung’s whole face is red and swollen when he pulls away, and he feels like he’s about to burst again but he collects himself before Minho can tell him it’s okay to let it out.

“Thank you, and sorry,” he hiccups, then takes a shaky breath. “I shouldn’t have left, but I freaked out. I knew you’re the closest standing point.”

That’s a lie, because distance-wise he might be closer than anyone else, but the path between him and Jisung’s points is meandering, so it would have taken less effort to seek out Felix. It would have made more sense, too, Felix being his official guide. And yet, his chest swells with pride when he puts it like this and realises that Jisung has still chosen him.

They stay silent for a while – under the excuse of waiting until Jisung calms down, Minho lets himself observe the vulnerable creature in front of him.

Jisung really is something else. 

Once the race is over, Minho sets off the opposite way from their camp, knowing Jisung’s standing point is much closer to the start line. The younger has (hopefully) returned safely to his own spot after he calmed down enough to mask his glossy eyes.

Maybe he just wants to see that Jisung is alright and hasn’t hurt himself more.

He probably would have come to Minho if anything happened, but a small part of him thinks he might also be too embarrassed to ask for help after what happened earlier. He also really wants to just _see_ Jisung, for some unknown reason, but he knows better than to dwell on it; it’s easier to just follow his instincts.

Fortunately, the path between their check-points is remotely short.

He wouldn’t take waiting much longer.

Jisung is a-okay and surprisingly doing a good job at packing up, and it’s only slightly disappointing to find Felix already hovering over him as the younger struggles with zipping his backpack.

Jisung perks up as soon as he spots Minho approaching them, which warms Minho as much as it warms Jisung’s cheeks – Minho came to accept that red is their permanent colour, a result of the never-ending embarrassment that is Han Jisung.

Maybe being clumsy is a fair way to make up for the big ego, Minho remarks when he overhears him and Felix talking about college opportunities and grades.

And so, the three take off to the camp in peace.

The game might have ended, but the day hasn’t. They arrive at the campground around dinner time, so they don’t waste any time and gather at the canteen for an early dinner. Minho and Seungmin handle the MC-ing, narrating their upcoming plans and entertaining the audience – they target the campers with silly jokes and enthusiastic speeches, but Minho finds himself seeking out Jisung’s reactions the most.

It’s fun, because the younger reacts just as vividly as the kids, laughing openly at all their attempts at humour. He winks at the younger when Seungmin brings the overall attention to himself, and he finds the younger uncertainly winking back.

They tell the campers to get an early shut-eye, reasoning it with needing to rest after such a long afternoon. But in fact, they have a different reason altogether.

Night games always mean being secretive towards their teams about going to sleep early right after dinner, some counsellors going as far as setting themselves into bed with the campers _to read them stories_ or _keep the monsters away._

The kids obviously enjoy their company, so they let the silly excuses slide. Or insist on actually reading stories, in Minho’s case – maybe he’s unlucky, or just popular enough among the kids to be made fun of this way. He would have been the main counsellor tease at that age, too.

But unlike those lucky few, night games mean staying up the whole night, having only a few hours to reflect and busy themselves with things that aren’t preparations for the next few days – anything that keeps them awake counts – before they have to proceed with the program.

When Minho finally escapes the cabin of elementary schoolers after making up a story of the three little cats, he finds Jisung already asleep. He chuckles, creeping towards his bed only to notice he has fallen asleep while writing into his notebook, holding onto the pen tightly as he rests his arm across the slightly crumpled page.

Minho doesn’t dare to move his arm aside to read what’s underneath in fear of waking him up.

Instead, he lingers around to discuss with himself the pros and cons of waking him up right in the moment. Once again, faced with the opportunity to maybe see Jisung’s eyes flutter open and listen to his sleepy grumbles, Minho refuses to do such thing.

If he’s asleep, he should get as much as he needs. He must be tired after today, at least emotionally. It would be cruel to not let him rest.

Plus, it’s tempting to observe him, taking in the serene picture of his steadily rising chest and puffed out cheeks, the curl of his body that must have been unpleasant to write in.

He catches himself before he could start writing poetry about his tiny frame and adorably clenched fists – he looks like a baby animal sleeping in its nest.

Instead of lingering until Jisung wakes up and getting lost further in this unwanted study, he heads towards the canteen to pour himself another cup of coffee.

He might need it.

Jeongin is already sitting in the clubroom when Minho opens the door, searching for a quiet spot for himself – preferably away from the tightness he feels in his cabin. He doesn’t chase Minho away like he normally does, probably too tired to mind the company.

“What are you playing?” Minho wonders when he notices a game board laid out in front of the younger. Jeongin barely lifts his head towards him, humming. “Can I join?”

“Yeah, sure,” the younger smiles, “but I’m two rounds up front.”

“I’ll catch up to you in no time, just watch me win,” Minho waves him off confidently. He notes the way Jeongin slowly leans into him, barely awake enough to keep his eyes open. “Why aren’t you in your room? You should get some rest before the game.”

“Can’t sleep,” he confesses, rubbing his eyes. “Hyunjin snores like a lumberjack.”

Minho laughs at that, only quieting down when he notices the younger flinch at the sudden noise.

“You should have recorded it; we would have a fitting background for the scare show.”

Jeongin laughs in response and moves his pawn forward. “I guess I could have.”

They play in silence, taking turns in rolling dices (Minho does most of the work for both players) and moving their pawns across the board. Jeongin takes too much time reading his own cards. Eventually, he places the newest one down without any effect.

“What about you, hyung?” he inquires. They’ve been quiet for long enough to make Minho confused with the sudden question, but he thinks he knows where this is going.

“Can’t sleep,” he parrots nonchalantly. “Some thoughts are keeping me awake.”

Jeongin hums in acknowledgement.

“Do you wanna rest in my room instead?” he suggests softly; it’s the voice of someone who genuinely understands, although Minho wouldn’t say he can sympathise.

He can’t even put a name to the uneasiness that has settled in his stomach, nor recall when it appeared, uninvited. Probably came along with Felix and his car, catching around Minho’s ankles. It had been too long ago when Felix joined their team, so it’s hard to recall if he felt like this about their newest addition then. Maybe it’s not even tied to Jisung’s person, to begin with.

Why would it be, anyway?

And yet, there are no other changes to their routine other than him. Everything around them clicks and runs smoothly, year after year. The dynamics don’t need to be changed.

Do they change with Jisung around, though?

He’s too tired for this, he settles as he manoeuvres Jeongin into a lying position and leans himself against the closest yoga mats to get a much needed shut-eye before they have to move on with the program. Two more hours, it will have to suffice.

He doesn’t sleep but the clubroom provides distraction to his drowsy head. To shorten his while, he counts the wooden blocks in the ceiling, quantifies the digits of pi and anything that comes to his mind without the intention of provoking war.

When Felix finds them around midnight, cooing at the sleeping teammates, they gather at the canteen for another cup of coffee and final instructions. Jisung shows up on time, unbothered by the poor state of his hair and clothes.

Minho finds it too easy to keep his eyes away from the sight, despite the tightness returning to his chest. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to consume so much coffee on an empty stomach.

They set off around half past midnight with all willing kids queued at the gates.

At first, everything seems to be running smoothly – the kids are already gushing in excitement to mask the nervousness, others are shaking and demanding to be held and protected already.

Minho comforts at least three elementary schoolers about the monsters only eating those children who move after they look into their luminous eyes.

Jisung glares at him, huffing out a silent “stop scaring them” from between his tightly pressed lips. Minho returns him an innocent “are you cold when you’re shaking that much?” to which Jisung refuses to interact further.

As they go further into the forest and set the campers onto their start line, taking the closest road to keep an eye on them from afar, it becomes impossibly clear there’s more behind Jisung’s closed away attitude than being cold – he knows, because he’s already wrapped the younger in his hoodie on top of his own cardigan and the shaking hasn’t stopped.

“You know you can just admit to being scared?” he nudges Jisung with his elbow gently. “I won’t laugh at you… not everyone can handle monsters as well as me.”

“I’m _not_ scared of the monsters,” Jisung stresses insistently.

He must realise how weak he sounded when his face scrunches up, and would they have any light illuminating Jisung’s face, he would be one hundred percent blushing.

Minho feels bold enough with so much caffeine running in his veins to offer to hold his hand, and Jisung seems to be desperate enough to take it as the stroll down the marked path, a few feet behind their teams.

Seungmin and Jeongin are in charge of playing monsters, while him, Jisung and Felix take their teams towards the unknown. Hyunjin stays behind in camp with those kids who were too scared to tag along. Maybe Jisung should have taken that role but hours prior, he would be proudly proclaiming he’s the biggest enthusiast of horror movies and that he _has_ to join the fun.

The truth is sadly very different from his claims, but at this point it’s not even surprising. Minho just takes it upon himself to deal with it. Not that he would let anyone else do it.

Felix hangs out at the back with them briefly, and Minho is one hundred percent sure he notes their linked hands, but he doesn’t say anything. Now, leading at the front row and giving the camper direct instructions, he doesn’t see Jisung lean into his side, his other hand coming to hold onto Minho’s arm, putting him into an iron grip that anyone else would have been already dead for. Maybe except the kids themselves, and Jisung _is_ kind of a baby.

“I wouldn’t let the monsters eat you, don’t worry,” he murmurs into the space between them.

“ _I’m not scared of them,”_ Jisung repeats, though he can’t keep his voice steady. The glare he’s sporting is surprisingly firm. “And I’m pretty sure you’d be the first one dead.”

If Minho were a monster, he would pick the smaller, thinner prey at any given time, rather than sparring with someone who’s spent their whole life growing accustomed to its habitat. But to be fair, maybe if Jisung were a monster, he’d target Minho as his victim – a payback for the teasing he’s not about to drop anytime soon.

“Do I look tastier?” he wonders smugly.

Jisung reacts with pushing away only to pull him back when he realises he misses the warmth that has cumulated between their bodies. “Why is that a competition, do you want me to try?” 

“Oh?” he raises his eyebrows. A quick glance at the younger is enough to reveal his blush.

“Anyway, it’s not that…” Jisung continues before he can tease more, voice dropping into a low whisper, “but I’ve never been to a forest at night… and it’s, I don’t know, my survival instincts are alarmed.”

Minho smiles fondly to encourage him to continue. 

“I don’t like darkness, but how much scarier it is outside of one’s bedroom?”

When Jisung doesn’t stop shaking, _and they haven’t even reached the destination yet,_ Minho talks to him to keep him busy. About everything and anything that keeps them away from the darkness surrounding them. 

Jisung seems to appreciate that a lot, even giggling here and there, and his hold softens – but Minho doesn’t let go of his hand, keeping a firm grip to make sure Jisung doesn’t pull away even when Jeongin starts scaring the kids.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers to Jisung whenever the younger stiffens or jumps.

He rubs comforting circles into the back of Jisung’s hand and hums along to whatever nervous chatter leaves Jisung when tension rises.

Once they return to the camp, Jisung self-consciously lets go of his hand, rubbing the back of his neck as he beckons Minho to accompany him to their cabin.

Felix takes his time with the kids outside, so they have a bit of privacy as they walk towards the residential area… Minho doesn’t know what for, though. At least he already knows he craves the silent moments with Jisung when there’s nothing else but him and Jisung around.

Although Jisung didn’t enjoy the walk too much, Minho finds himself grateful for the moments where he could forget about the kids, taking in the night scenery and absorbing Jisung’s body heat, imprinting his voice into his memory.

It comes naturally to him; the feeling is no different from what he feels towards the woods.

As much as he wants to be one with the nature around them, he feels even happier when Jisung is a part of the dream. When he gets to experience what it’s like to absorb both at once, the boy surrounded by nature and the nature itself hiding away in his heart, in some way.

This place is Minho’s home, has always been, and his friends take up a big place in his heart _alongside_ it, but somehow, Jisung’s place is right in the middle, between the ‘o’ and ‘m’. 

Jisung doesn’t say much when they return, spare for excusing himself into shower and wishing him a good night, and then they’re both in their separated beds, Jisung asleep and Minho waiting for Felix to check up on them and distract him from the feelings building up in his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer, this chapter involves a lot of time skips. they're all linear but it's hard to tell whether they're happening in one or separate days. it doesn't matter though!

Minho doesn’t stop paying attention to the younger when they wake up, subconsciously finding his eyes plastered to the younger’s back when he’s not looking. The warmth of Jisung’s palm and his body pressed into Minho’s side echo through his body.

The morning is significantly softer, clouds blocking the harsh sun – at least the weather doesn’t feel as overwhelming when his heart is struggling to keep up with itself.

It doesn’t make sense, nothing has changed. Except maybe the heat rising into his cheeks whenever Jisung turns to look at him, with his adorable bed hair that’s messing with Minho’s head and addictive yawns that Minho mirrors just as easily as his smile.

He thinks he might just be in a mood, not caught up with reality after last night. Jisung clinging to him and brushing their shoulders does feel like a faraway daydream.

But then the drowsiness wears off and he awakens enough to carry out their routine, helping around with entertaining the kids and participating in activities that require his assistance. And yet, whenever he casts a look at the younger – and finds him looking back every time – he feels his heart being sent into overdrive.

It’s as if the nature wasn’t enough to bring him peace because Han Jisung comes in like a gust of wind to ruffle his leaves and leave him confused, yearning for the lingering touches he left in his wake. A force that quakes the ground under his feet, just slightly. 

A sort of relief comes with the lunch break and announcing their afternoon trip, a promise of the lake visit added with some interesting challenges to keep the campers entertained.

Jisung beams just as brightly, joining the cheering – his voice tingles pleasantly in Minho’s ears.

Even as they set off, Jisung doesn’t lose his childlike enthusiasm, and Minho cannot keep his eyes away. Not with how Jisung bumps their shoulders together and stays loud to his ears even when he’s skipped away to play with the campers.

Felix must have noticed the way he keeps spacing out, and he’s not very subtly looking directly at Jisung either, which is something the freckled boy has teased him about yesterday, too. 

“You seem happy that I brought him along,” he muses in between listening to the young girl holding his hand babbling about toys.

The weather is bright and the sun filters through the leaves just enough to tickle Minho’s lashes when he looks up. The breeze makes breathing easier and brings a phantom flavour of fresh grass onto his tongue, where it mixes with a chocolate bar he and Jisung shared earlier that morning.

When he closes his eyes, the sunlight reflects through them, and a familiar smile appears in his mind, just as bright and warm. He doesn’t chase it away.

“He surely is refreshing,” Minho admits. “It’s a new one, having an adult more problematic than the children themselves.”

“Come on, mate,” Felix insists, beaming brightly. “Jisung isn’t that bad, and so aren’t they. You’re just too proud to admit that you took a liking to him.”

“So what if I have,” he answers, and casts a brief look at the young girl by Felix’ side. She’s listening in but it doesn’t appear she understands the implication.

And Minho can’t say he understands it, either – but he _has_ developed a soft spot for Jisung over the week. More like a human being, he resembles an animal to take care of, the fourth cat to feed and play with. That… might be it, actually. “Shut up, he reminds me of a cat.”

“Yeah, right, because now I’m not going to fondly coo at you,” Felix grins. 

“Is that the most you can do? You’re not very intimidating.”

Felix swiftly grabs hold of his water bottle, aiming it at Minho with a challenging expression before he bursts out laughing. Minho follows suit, relieved to have let the topic go.

“How is it going, by the way?”

“What is going?” he observes Felix, scans his eyes, but he doesn’t see what Felix is hinting at in the slightest. They don’t really talk about school during the schoolyear, and they haven’t caught up on anything since the camp started, both too busy taking care of the kids separately, and Minho taking the responsibility of guarding Jisung on himself.

The little girl answers instead. “We’re going straight to the lake. You should know that, or we’ll get lost.”

Felix laughs and pats her head. “We surely don’t want to go _straight into_ the lake, we didn’t take our swimsuits,” the girl giggles. “But don’t worry, we have Seungminnie so we can’t get lost.”

“And _we_ aren’t going straight anywhere, either,” he responds to Minho. “Or anywhere really, if that’s what you’re saying.”

Minho’s throat closes up.

“I did not say anything,” he gulps it down. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

Felix then glances down at the kid and makes a grimace she fortunately doesn’t notice, too engrossed in the forest around. “With him, I mean.”

“Oh,” his eyes stray towards Jisung, who’s too occupied with his team to notice. He knows his next words are nothing but a digression. “He’s learning quickly, it’s not that hard after all.”

“That’s not what I meant, hyung,” Felix shakes his head but keeps smiling. They hold eye contact, neither wanting to approach the topic out in the open. “Okay, let’s talk about this later.”

But maybe Minho _wants_ an answer from someone else than himself, if only to deny the tension building in the core of his bones, to assure himself what he feels doesn’t mean anything.

To have someone to share the burden with if he fails to keep his defences.

“What _did_ you mean, then?” Minho presses on but Felix speeds up, bringing the girl with him as they chase after Seungmin. He stares at them longingly but doesn’t chase after them.

Getting lost in the abundance of trees and greenery, counting the branches of oaks, and following their meandering shapes, he feels at ease again. It’s so easy to forget that the world keeps spinning when the nature provides a peaceful hideaway.

Once they arrive at their destination, Minho loses sight of Felix – the younger is probably spinning in Seungmin’s orbit by now. Instead, he focuses on collecting his own team and giving them the usual speech about safety at the lake before he signs off and sets his course to the closest shade.

He finds solace under a lone parasol, stood far enough from the water to avoid being splashed yet close enough to provide an observation point.

It’s the same spot every year, waiting to be claimed by Minho and told stories, when Minho relaxes enough to voice his thoughts out loud. Sometimes, he lures in the youngest campers and instead entertains them with his words and riddles.

Most of the time, though, he’s hidden away enough to not be disrupted.

And that’s how he likes it, being close enough to observe yet not directly in the centre, allowing him to absorb and acknowledge, breathe in what he’s too lazy to experience. The lake visit days always serve for this purpose. The one day he allows himself to be pliant.

He sometimes brings a book with him, but his thoughts usually keep him company. That’s what he needs the most after a week of ordering kids around and letting himself loose, only to realise a weight has been pulling him down all along.

Ever since the first day, it’s been there, growing in the pits of his stomach. No more than a seed when it set foot into Minho’s life, soon growing out and adding leaves, twisting its stems until the feeling has vowed itself around Minho’s heart. 

He wonders if the feelings will eventually grow into a flower. They shouldn’t, not without nourishing and care – but maybe he’s given them some, without realising. Maybe they strive off a brilliant smile, rather than sunrays. Maybe they feed on words rather than water.

Maybe they bloom not with petals…

He squirms, blinking his eyes open when he feels his chest start to ache, a dull pain spreading through his chest like a wildfire. It’s gentle enough to be overlooked, and therefore easy to shake off if he focuses elsewhere.

He doesn’t like the pressure, so he brings his eyes towards the clouds, hoping to occupy himself with their shapes. His gaze falls onto the scenery around him then, seeking out the sight of his own team, then Felix and Jeongin and Seungmin – anyone who would entertain his thoughts.

He spots his best friends on the lake, Felix’ bright hair giving him away from the distance. They’re riding the paddle boats, two at a time. He can’t actually see their faces, but he bets they are content to have a quiet moment for themselves. 

Just when he thinks the distraction was enough and hopes to lie back down, an invading shadow moves into his peripheral vision. Jisung’s not even close enough to hear his breath hitch, but the sudden appearance makes him scoff, blood pooling into his cheeks.

Just when he thinks he’s getting a moment to rest, Jisung strolls over to where Minho is lying on the grass and requests a ride. Great, that’s exactly what he wanted.

“Felix and Seungmin already claimed one together,” the younger explains when he explains his request, though Minho already knows what he came for before he even opens his mouth.

Jisung makes his best effort to imitate a puppy, jutting out his lower lip and upturning his eyebrow until they’re shaped like little bows– and Minho should really stop looking.

“Do you know how to ride those things?” Minho quicks an eyebrow at him, although he knows he’s losing a battle against those puppy eyes.

“We learn from experience,” Jisung exclaims, bending down to take a hold of Minho’s wrist, then pulls with all of his strength – which is barely enough to bring Minho upright, but he doesn’t budge and sits up.

“Can you at least swim?”

“Why do you already assume we will drown,” Jisung assures him hurriedly, already tugging him towards the lake. “Come on, it will be fun!”

“Look I can carry a pre-schooler, but you’re probably heavier than that,” he pulls out the last defence, watching as it dissipates in the air before Jisung’s cheeky smile and a gulped down giggle of disbelief.

“Here, you can try yourself,” the younger offers, outstretching his arms in an invitation to lift him up. When Minho doesn’t elaborate, he laughs again, “but anyway, no one will be swimming today.”

To be honest, Minho just wants it to be over with. He doesn’t want to deal with Jisung more than necessary, not until he figures out how to stop whatever he’s feeling, and he came here to occupy his favourite napping spot, not to watch the younger struggle in yet another environment.

…Should he be concerned?

But he doesn’t resist when Jisung pulls him towards the shore and leads him onto the quay.

They climb into the boat without any accidents but that’s mostly Minho’s doing, since he keeps it in place when Jisung enters. A small exchange of reassurances fleets through the boat before they get it moving, pushing it onto the lake together.

Well, Minho pushes, and Jisung clings to his waist, which totally does _not_ spark electricity everywhere they touch, get a grip Minho.

The younger hesitantly lets go of him when Minho gives him a questioning look. “To make sure you won’t fall either,” he replies, squeaky.

Minho swallows his heart from where it has leaped into his throat and forces out a chuckle, reaching for the paddles with sweaty hands. “Oh come on, I’m a professional.”

“A professional complainer,” Jisung returns cheekily. 

He seats himself in front on request, which is fortunate. Minho doesn’t know if he could handle the younger looking at him. _Come on, turn around already._ Plus, _he_ wants to be the one looking.

“That’s not a word,” he points out smugly, jabbing a finger into Jisung’s shoulder.

“And yet it fits you pretty well,” Jisung smirks, and _finally,_ turns around. Thanks goodness. 

“I don’t complain that much,” Minho whines back, belatedly realising his mistake. He can practically see the smile growing on Jisung’s face before he bursts out laughing.

Jisung almost chokes on his laughter, bubbling out of his stomach freely. He doubles over, catching his breath as he fails to stop his giggles. “Are you listening to yourself?”

Minho admits defeat.

The paddling itself it easy for both of them, and other than Jisung complaining about the tension in his muscles and being out of strength, they’re doing good.

He can hear the faint sound of Jisung counting strokes under his breath and sees the breeze ruffling Jisung’s blonde locks. Together with the gentle rocking of the boat, and overlooking Jisung’s fervent paddling, it sounds like melody to his ears.

He’s glad that Jisung can’t see him, too occupied by the view that opens in front of them and too scared to turn around, lest crane his neck far enough to notice that Minho is staring.

And well, Minho _is,_ pretty shamelessly. Not that he can really see anything from this angle but having a moment with Jisung when he isn’t constantly on edge just looking into his eyes again is a nice moment, even if the most he can see is Jisung unsuccessfully trying to scratch his back.

Without much thought, he reaches forward to do the favour for him – Jisung shrieks in surprise, then leans into the touch, relaxing. 

Since they’re not talking anymore – which means Jisung at least focuses on the paddling and doesn’t fall behind, sending their boat to spin in circles – Minho lets himself admire the panorama of trees and hills rising from above the water surface.

They’re the only sailing boat by now.

“Hyung, I’m dying,” Jisung suddenly announces, letting go of the paddles to stretch his arms above his head. Then, he supports himself on the bench as he turns around just enough to face him, pouting, “can we take a break?”

Minho nods, widening his eyes when the younger starts clumsily turning around in his seat.

“Careful,” he stresses.

“I know what I’m doing,” Jisung scoffs, then adds, much softer, “don’t worry.”

He turns away, drowning in the sudden warmth invading his heart.

At this point, they’re far enough to see the people at the shore as uncertain human blobs. Some are distinctive enough to tell apart – only because Hyunjin’s height stands out anywhere, and Felix’ bright hair is seen from miles away. Within the campers, he wouldn’t even locate his own team, and they probably can’t recognise Minho in the boat either.

They could scream all they want, and no one would hear them – they could _do_ things, and no one would see… they could _kiss,_ and no one would know– oh no.

Minho’s mind spirals into lengths and depths he never wanted to touch, now unmistakably aware of the proximity of their knees brushing together and the plush lips that could easily be captured by his own. A gentle press, maybe a soft uncertain movement. 

“We should probably paddle back, don’t want them to leave us behind.”

It comes out a little breathlessly, but Jisung doesn’t seem to notice – the excuse works wonders, sending Jisung into a state of panic. He watches as the younger widens his eyes almost comically. “Oh, they wouldn’t, right?”

He’s about to laugh into his face and assure him that no, they wouldn’t leave them even if they wanted to because they both need to collect their teams. Unfortunately, his words are cut off by Jisung’s piercing shriek.

The swift motion of his attempt to turn around is too sudden for the boat to handle, and before either of them knows it, Jisung falls off the side and into the lake.

Minho’s blood runs cold, and he swiftly leans across the side to locate Jisung who emerges from under the water surface unharmed. “Told ya I can swim!” 

Minho gawks at him, too stunned to move. He should probably get him back inside, at least ask if he’s okay, but his hands are glued to the side of the boat and his voice is stuck in his throat.

“Hey, it’s getting quite cold here,” the words fall past Jisung’s trembling lips, they’re already turning purple and all Minho can think about is warming them up with his own. “Give me a hand?”

Minho uselessly extends it, letting Jisung climb inside.

The tension falls as they paddle back to the shore where Minho dries him off and gives him spare clothes – “how are you carrying a _full backpack_ and don’t have spare clothes with you?” – that make Jisung look absolutely _tiny_ despite being just a thumb shorter.

If Jisung was tiny in just his oversized shirt, he becomes miniature once he’s wrapped up in one of the camp towels – they reach to the knees of even normal-sized beings. The younger doesn’t make it easier on him with only his cheeks and eyes peeking out from under the fabric. 

The sight makes Minho’s heart ache fondly.

Jisung doesn’t seem to have any other stupid plans for the day, so they lie there calmly, occasionally chirping up about mindless topics – and really, maybe nothing has changed after last night. Maybe it changed for the better.

Spending time with Jisung like this is pleasant.

Bunker Building, the most important preparation for their legendary Flag Hunt. Campers, but mostly counsellors, are looking forward to this all summer.

For this activity, it’s inevitable to split up as to keep each other’s Fortresses hidden. As much as Minho would love to sneak around and watch Jisung challenge the nature and his own DIY skills, he knows the rules; and it’s not fun if the hideaways are revealed before the game starts.

And yet, he can’t help but keep his eyes sharp when his team returns to the campgrounds, hoping to catch a glance of the blonde disaster.

He finds nothing, spare for a bird nest and a peeing camper but that’s probably for the better. They’ll reveal their positions eventually, and he wouldn’t want to witness Jisung breaking a leg in the process of building a simple hideaway.

On further thought, that sounds like enough of a reason to have their teams unite for this one. But where’s the fun in having an advantage against the rest?

He wants to win fair and square.

The flag hunt itself happens in the late afternoon, after they have all reported their stance to Seungmin who then tooted the camp horn – their prized possession – to signalise the start.

And with that, the most popular game of the week begins.

Each of them on their own place, with their own strategies, teams show excitement and eagerness to guard their own flags while their teammates try to snatch the flags of others. Whoever holds the most in their possession at the end of the game wins. 

Minho’s heard Jisung talking about their team strategy; with three people guarding the Fort, younger kids (and Jisung, apparently) go out into the wild to explore and hunt like a team.

Minho’s strategy is much simpler than that, and reliable; the flag stays in his own pocket and where his team divides fairly into defenders and offenders, Minho runs and hides. It technically shouldn’t be allowed, but he’s never been caught, and Jeongin’s or Seungmin’s team usually ends up stealing the spotlight with the most flags, while his own keeps standing.

And okay, they have discussed the rules because of other interesting strategies last years, and they haven’t explicitly said his strategy was against the rules, so he’s good to go.

The point is stealing as many flags as possible and not having his own stolen. _What better way is there to ensure that?_

Brian would have killed him for it, probably, but Brian isn’t here anymore. 

He strides off from behind their own fortress as soon as the game horn sounds, gaining himself a reasonable distance outside of the clashing zone. That’s where most of the players will be waiting for matches and organising attacks.

Taking the way around gives him a clear insight of what’s happening, while staying in the back, safe and sound.

Jeongin’s fortress is built on a tree, the flag secured between two branches of neighbouring trees. A knife would be needed to cut the ropes securing it, or at least a good skill with knots.

Felix guards his area of bushes, most likely hiding his flag in between them. Most of his team is hidden around the place, instead of running offence. A strategical mistake, in Minho’s opinion.

Seungmin probably guards the pile of stones by the east side of the camp.

And Jisung… It could be anywhere. Unlike the others, he only had a few days to map out the surroundings, and he doesn’t look like a technical type either, so his fort will be most likely a randomly picked out spot that looks innocent enough to overlook.

His strategy is probably too hasty to succeed, too, judging by the unhinged excitement of earlier.

Oh, the innocent smile radiating off his lips, a competitive spark decorating his eyes. That was enough to send Minho’s heart into overdrive. The warm tightness echoes in his chest even now.

As much as he hoped to ignore it at first, the way his heart reacts to Jisung is hard to overlook, speeding up whenever their hands brush, melting when the phantom of Jisung’s touch overtakes his senses. Spreading warmth to his core at the sound of Jisung’s laughter.

So, there’s no denying what he feels. It’s too much, but at least isn’t not too obvious, not to the certain someone, and that will have to do. Jisung has his own life outside, maybe even a girlfriend – damn, they’ve been rooming for almost a week now and he doesn’t even know if Jisung is gay. He might have been avoiding the topic on purpose.

Even if, it doesn’t mean he’s gay _for him._ All Minho’s done so far is making fun of him and helping him out of his own problems. That doesn’t really make for _falling in love_ material.

Not that it matters, who said he wants to take that route.

Maybe, maybe he does.

_Take a breather._

Not long after, he’s jogging off with twice the speed, aiming nowhere at all except _further away from everything,_ until he’s lost in the so familiar forest he calls home.

As he’s running and hiding away in the wild, he hears a loud shriek – he considers letting it slide, but he’s also responsible for the health of the campers, and the yell sounded painful.

Turning on his heel, he locates the damsel in distress quickly, setting off towards what he expects to be a sprained ankle. When he arrives at the destination, he takes a moment to spot the terrified Jisung sitting on a tree. He’s clutching onto the trunk will all his might.

He calls out Minho’s name hopefully. “Thanks god you’re here, there was a bear.”

“Bears don’t live in this area, don’t worry,” Minho breathes out a relieved laugh. At least he doesn’t seem hurt, and would he choose to fall down, Minho is there to at least cushion his fall. 

He genuinely hopes that won’t be happening anytime soon.

“I’m not kidding, there was something chasing me,” Jisung insists. 

“Well, that’s the game, kids are chasing each other,” he shrugs, but glances around anyway. There _is_ a possibility of seeing deer and squirrels if you make the effort to be as quiet as possible, but that’s not happening to Jisung any time soon.

“Take me seriously!”

He glances back up to the distressed squirrel. “I might, once you get down here.”

“Well, that’s a problem,” he cries. “I’m stuck.”

“You’re kidding me,” he deadpans. “Did you climb a tree but don’t know how to get down?”

It’s painfully typical of him, from everything Minho has learned about the other in the past week, and yet it doesn’t fail to amaze him. Just how careless and unlucky can one person get?

“I had my parents helping me when I was a kid,” he stumbles out, and he’s too high for Minho to properly see the blush forming on his cheeks, but he somehow does, anyway. 

“Did you never climb the trees alone?” he tries again, but he quickly shakes his head, not waiting for Jisung to answer. “Ah, you know what, forget it.”

“Not as easy as it sounds, your feet are planted on the ground!”

“Okay, don’t go anywhere,” Minho cracks a joke, grinning like a madman when Jisung’s frown deepens into a wannabe dangerous one. “I’ll show you how to get down.”

“Very funny,” Jisung mumbles, quiet enough to only be made out as a movement of his lips – not that Minho is focusing on that particular part of his face.

He approaches the tree and picks the thick branch by the left to hook his leg over and swing himself up. Once secured, he very carefully lifts himself to his feet and balances towards the closest branch above. This one has quite the height advantage but when supported by the trunk, he climbs it just well.

“Almost there, hyung!” he bites back a smile at hearing Jisung chant from above.

Looking below, he’s already high enough to be dangerous to fall, maybe two thirds of the way to Jisung. He tests the strength of the branch he’s standing on, stepping a little further from the trunk to reach the next one – it happily wiggles underneath his weight.

Okay, not that one.

He’s hyperaware of the younger watching, filtering out most of the very unhelpful comments Jisung yells at him. It makes him want to put more effort into what he’s doing, but the more forcibly he moves, the less courage stays in his legs. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be right there,” he assures Jisung, although he’s mostly saying it to himself.

“Geez, hyung, shouldn’t you just run for help?” Jisung stresses. “You’ll end up hurt.”

“Am I hearing that from you?” One step further and he can climb the next branch without breaking the one underneath. “You could have just run towards one of our bases.”

“I- well, I was scared and wasn’t thinking straight,” he admits. “Not that I do that often.”

“Hm, noticed,” Minho answer mindlessly.

A little further and there’s a finely shaped bridge towards Jisung.

Being one level away from victory, Minho can _hear_ the way Jisung’s breath hitches when he manoeuvres around the trunk. It does wonders to his heart, sending it into a distracting override but he’s too close to lose.

“Hyung,” Jisung extends his hand towards Minho’s face, and he takes it to finally climb the last level, hooking his leg around the branch Jisung is sitting on and pulling his back against the trunk.

This took way too much energy. 

Jisung looks as relieved as he is exhausted after the adrenaline dissipates, leaving him leaning against the tree and gaping at Jisung with no real thoughts running through his head except for noting and observing the stray strands of Jisung’s hair.

The younger is awkwardly balancing on the branch, hands clutching it just below his legs – he looks unstable mostly due to his own shaking body, like he’s ready to fall off if he doesn’t shift his weight elsewhere.

Which is why Minho pulls him forward, letting him place his hands onto his chest. He also immediately regrets the idea, since Jisung is now surely aware of his heartbeat. Then again, he just exercised – not only the tree but also running miles around and avoiding campers.

Oh, the campers.

He completely forgot about the game, and the flag that fits uncomfortably against his back pocket and nudges both his thigh and butt.

It’s probably fine, their teams are supposed to be doing most of the work anyway. The counsellors only play to make sure no one gets hurt (which Minho _is_ doing at the moment) and because they want to participate for the fun of it.

“Aren’t you gonna help us down?”

“Not yet,” he replies easily. Looking at Jisung like this is nice, enjoying the silence and having a moment to appreciate his lips from up close, he almost leans in to kiss him – just almost, because he doesn’t want Jisung to freak out and fall.

“I have an idea,” he proposes, clumsily standing up to pull out the flag and wave it in front of them before reaching out as far as he can and sticking it between the upper branches.

“There, it’ll be impossible to find.”

“You had it in your pocket _this whole time?”_ Jisung shrieks, fingers tightening in the front of Minho’s shirt when he seats back down, wobbling a bit.

“Year after year,” he confirms proudly, “no one ever finds it.”

Jisung’s lips downturn into a – undeniably cute – pout. “Isn’t that unfair, though?”

“You get a point for each flag you keep, lose one for each flag you get stolen,” he explains. The points are based on whose possession the flags reach the campfire, and the pattern of colourful marker dots on each. Once taking hold of a flag for long enough to mark it, your point counts.

An extra point goes to whichever flag that wasn’t stolen even once.

That one is proudly in Minho’s possession each year, although it doesn’t help towards his win.

These are the rules Brian’s team came up with to include more than just two teams, and Minho doesn’t remember ever playing it differently. A lot of other camp games were slightly adjusted, knowing from experience when he tried playing them with classmates throughout high school. 

“When will be the right time to go?” Jisung stresses. Minho looks down, and suddenly he’s not so sure. “Uh, the tree is higher than it seemed form down there.”

“I would know something about that,” Jisung chuckles, but the sound dies down soon, replaced by a worried expression. “Are you scared now?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Minho!” the younger shrieks – _right_ in Minho’s ear. “Does that mean we’re stuck here?!”

“Of course not, we’ll handle this,” he assures Jisung, although he’s not so sure himself. That’s just his slight fear of heights talking, though. One call to Hyunjin should do the work.

Right, the talkie. 

He carefully strips off his backpack, placing it onto his thighs between them as he rummages through the insides. Jisung unwillingly leans back, though his hand continue to grip Minho’s legs.

“Han Jisung where did you leave yours?” he laments, shaking his head – he’s already thinking of the many excuses Jisung will probably give him.

_Did he even get a talkie from Hyunjin?_

Maybe the boy is to blame, rather than Jisung. Someone’s getting their mouth stuffed with toilet paper tonight – how could he _not_ prepare Jisung properly for a day out?

(Nevermind that it’s probably Felix’ or his job.)

“At the base, in my backpack…” the younger mumbles, heat rising into his cheeks at the demanding tone. He scratches his nape, offering a timid smile. 

“How do you think it would help you that way?” Minho laughs in disbelief.

Jisung opens and closes his mouth a few times, looking for something to shoot back, but he comes empty headed, so Minho stops paying attention to him and loads the talkie.

“Lee Know on the line, I need backup, over,” he speaks into the gear, ignoring Jisung’s giggles in the back. Of course, the younger has never used one.

 _“Jinnie here, what’s the matter?”_ sounds from the other side. _“Over.”_

“Stuck on a tree, maybe 300 meters from the east placebo, over,” he sighs – he sounds ridiculous to his own ears, and Hyunjin is likely just as amused. 

_“Roger, be right there with a ladder.”_

So, yeah.

All they have to do now is wait until someone rescues them. Great.

Minho feels trapped; not only several feet above the ground but mostly in front of Jisung, who’s clinging to him just as tightly as he clings to the tree, whose breath echoes by his ear and body heat invades his senses.

The ground under his feet is too far away, although a little more bearable with Jisung’s hands clutched onto him; the sky above his head is clear, no gloomy clouds in sight, although not near as bright as Jisung’s smile; and he, he is so in love with the sight in front of him.

Jisung must hear his heartbeat clearly, and yet he doesn’t mind – no, his own probably beats just as fast, given the circumstances.

Then Jisung lifts his head and steadies himself, looking Minho in the eyes. He didn’t realise how close they were until Jisung’s nose almost brushes against his.

Jisung is… beautiful up close, why didn’t he notice before?

He feels his mind shutting down, the walls of his ratio crumbling down before his eyes. He feels like throwing up, stomach squeezing in a way bordering with uncomfortable, _too warm_ , but he also feels like screaming and hugging Jisung tightly all at the same time.

Jisung’s blown eyes are looking right into his, and deeper, into his soul, searching for an anchor. His breath fans over Minho’s lips, hands clutch to the front of his shirt.

It’s impossible not to lean in and capture his mouth.

Just barely more than a peck, pressing his lips plush against Jisung’s trembling ones. His forehead is starting to hurt from the way his brows furrow tightly in the frustration that is slowly emerging from his body. He wants the kiss so much. 

_Please don’t push me away._

_Maybe if he pushes me away, we’ll end up stumbling to the ground. I wouldn’t mind my last breath being poured into his mouth._

But then Jisung kisses back, gently moving his lips against Minho’s, hands adjusting in the fabric of his shirt to not only hold but pull forward and then Minho’s are reaching out to tenderly caress his face and Jisung lets out a soft moan.

Minho pulls back, startled, but doesn’t let go, looking for any sign of discomfort. His breath hitches when he catches a glimpse of tears collecting in Jisung’s eyes.

He takes a sharp breath, ready to apologise–

“T-thank you,” Jisung whispers, lips spreading into a wide smile. “Thank you.”

“Thank me?” he repeats dumbly.

“Hyung,” he’s crying now, so Minho reaches out to dry his tears. “I think I love you,” he confesses in a strained voice, “is that okay?”

Minho doesn’t know how to answer, his throat closing up at the many thoughts rushing around, some about Jisung, some about the perfect kiss – so he presses his lips together tightly and nods, hoping his eyes will convey everything that isn’t ready to come out of his mouth yet. 

Jisung understands, reaching for him to pull him into a hug.

They stay like that. It gives Minho time to think, to process, to reflect and think over and over again because he doesn’t believe his own memory.

Now that the words are out in the open, it doesn’t feel so difficult to put a name on the feelings.

When he feels Jisung rub his back, he squeezes tighter.

They walk back with Hyunjin, just one step behind him, both hearts beating rapidly. Jisung’s hand glued to the strap of Minho’s backpack for he’s scared to actually reach for his hand. Minho finds it adorable, so he doesn’t budge.

“Not to be rude but are you freaking serious?” Hyunjin turns around promptly, after walking in silence for long enough to clear his thoughts. “What did you think about, having a romantic moment if you cannot even get down.”

Jisung bites back an embarrassed whine as he hurries to correct Hyunjin about the circumstances, falsely denying the accusation out of embarrassment, whereas Minho chooses to stay quiet.

They _have_ touched upon that, after all. Well, kissed more than touched, but that’s exactly what Hyunjin is referring to, and he doesn’t know the sequence of events, but it doesn’t matter enough to correct him. Hyunjin won’t gain anything from knowing the truth.

Minho would benefit from not having yet another friend to tease him, on the other hand.

But Felix has already caught them bonding the previous night, so it’s inevitable to face the consequences of being put into the spotlight as soon as they gather for the next meeting.

Felix greets them at the gates of the camp, relieved to see them in one piece – he sends Minho and Jisung to their cabin to rest and mentions something about taking Hyunjin for a hot cocoa. Minho’s stomach grumbles at the idea but he follows closely after Jisung anyway.

They catch up to each other and enter their cabin, one after the other. Minho holds the door open for Jisung, who rewards him with a heart-shaped smile. The younger is a little nervous, judging by the rubbing of his forearms and his teeth looking a little strained as he smiles.

He looks ready to speak up, probably to discuss what happened earlier… but Minho isn’t.

Not yet, at least not verbally. 

So instead, as the younger opens his mouth to speak, Minho pulls him close. That’s much easier, holding onto his tiny frame and listening to his heartbeat, which almost matches his own thumping if he listens closely. Just absorbing his presence and feeling the younger hug back.

It’s not necessarily what he’s been waiting for, but when Jisung’s arms rest around his shoulders, nose pressed into his neck and his breathing steady, it feels like a sign.

That maybe, just maybe, it is time.

Carefully, voice trembling, he mouths the words into Jisung’s neck. He feels Jisung freeze underneath him, then melt into his touch. “I like you so much, I can’t help it.”

“Why would you?” Jisung giggles. “Hyung, I’m so happy.”

“Me too.” 

Minho kisses his neck once, then twice. The smell of Jisung is comforting, invading his senses, and almost lulling him to sleep. Everything around them smells like Jisung now, and it feels so good he’s almost dizzy. Why didn’t he notice sooner?

He nuzzles his nose into Jisung’s hair. He feels ridiculous – he remembers his first encounters with nature, where he would roll around in the dirt and smell the fresh grass and feel at ease. 

Jisung is everything but one with nature, but the feelings are the same.

He, too, feels like home.

The counsellors huddle for warmth on one side of the clearing while campers gather around the campfire in groups of friends rather than their teams. Seungmin and Jeongin walk around to give out marshmallows and sausages and the kids chatter about roasting techniques and challenge each other for sparring behind Jeongin’s back.

With everyone seated and enjoying their food or waiting for their round to come to the front, Felix and Jisung begin their performances. They have made up an adventurous story to accompany the night game legend – they must have come up with it on their way to the camp.

The kids are on the edge of their seats when they listen to the duo roleplay for characters and the monster, Felix’ deep voice having a pleasant effect on the mood.

Jisung isn’t doing bad, either, keeping the atmosphere alive with plot twists and witty answers to the tricky questions he receives from both the smug teenage kids and Minho who just enjoys seeing Jisung work his brain to give him a plausible answer and not lose the kids’ attention.

Even as the story comes to an end, Jisung keeps the attention on himself. Felix pulls out a guitar from behind them – has it always been there? – and passes it towards the blonde.

“This is why you dragged him along, right?” Minho turns to Felix, half in admiration and half in amusement. “Because my guitar skills suck.”

“Brian is not here with us anymore, I figured we could revive this tradition?” the younger shrugs, leaning back onto his hands to give Minho a better view of Jisung’s profile.

With the campfire illuminating his face, the golden tint of his skin stands out against the dull sky. His cheeky smile reflects on Minho’s face as the older listens to him softly hum along with the guitar. The sweet sound fills him with honey warmth.

“Wait, did you actually know?” Jeongin mixes in, just as impressed.

“Not at all,” Felix laughs in response, “but he’s good!”

Minho doesn’t register the last song has ended until Jisung’s eyes lock with his. The smile on Jisung’s face grows brighter, and he stands up to stride towards Minho’s place. Felix switches seats with a knowing smile – and then Jisung is seating himself next to Minho, arms wrapping around his middle and head coming to rest on his shoulder.

Minho feels his own cheeks flush at the sudden affection, but he eventually leans into Jisung, finding his waist to hold onto as his other hand cards through his hair.

It's even softer than he remembers it to be. 

The following day hits different. Quite literally, as Jisung’s clumsiness seems to be contagious – Minho stubs his finger into the doorframe and falls onto his face in front of their cabin when Jisung bumps into him from behind, bringing them both to the ground.

The younger laughs it off, seemingly used to such, and offers Minho an apology while he cradles him to his feet. “I’m sorry hyung, I’ll be more careful.”

“You ought to,” he grumbles but reaches out to ruffle his head anyway.

When he’s looking at Jisung, the younger appears softer than yesterday – something has shifted on the tree, and that’s obvious enough, but it only established at the campfire, and now it refuses to leave Minho’s heart for even a second.

It’s easier to focus on the activities than keep thinking about the effect Jisung has on his heart, and so he gives his all into cheering his team when they compete for the last points. Having scored second on the flag hunt, their place on the scoreboard is secured, but even among the five top teams, he’s eager to win the crown.

Because the kids are happy to get the prizes, and because he bets on the winner with Felix on some years. Then also for the priceless feeling of triumph. But most importantly, the edibles.

They’re mostly snacks hand-picked by Felix (and Jisung, this year) and Felix has the best taste when it comes to food. Additionally, it feels thrilling to compete for something that counts as Jisung’s – even if it’s just his favourite pack of gummies they might share later.

The younger seems to be just as encouraged to keep the competition burning, although Minho knows he has nothing to compete for. The top 3 teams earn prizes, and with the spacious gap in points between their teams, Minho can expertly guess that Jisung won’t be getting any treats from his own achievements.

The more of a reason to share.

Later that evening, the team scores are evaluated and Jisung doesn’t even get onto the scoreboard with the top 3, unlike Minho, Jeongin and Felix, whose teams have aced flag hunt, treasure hunt and most individual activities, respectively.

Felix always scores for that particular reason, cheering him team and helping them out instead of just watching them fail with an amused smile and giving them advice later.

Jisung takes the results with a stoic expression, soothing his team when the announcement triggers a wave of whining and dissatisfaction. Unlike the first days, he does a good job at calming them down – maybe he’s not a natural talent like Felix, but he _is_ charming even to the kids.

Minho still teases him and laughs into his face since they’re sitting next to each other once he’s seated down with the snacks on their table, but Jisung just rolls his eyes. “Whatever, but you know it wasn’t _your_ score? It’s the kids who should be smug, not you.”

Oh, a good point – but not enough to stop him.

“We can’t teach the kids to be smug about a victory, but _I_ can be all I want,” Minho giggles. “Besides, it only annoys you because you like me.”

“That doesn’t make much sense to me, hyung,” Jisung laughs, but his cheeks light up at his words. His finger is quickly swatted away when he prods at the pink dusted cheeks. “And you’re not right, I did not lose.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but you very clearly had.”

At this, Jisung leans closer, breath ghosting over his ear before he whispers: “I won you over, so who’s the real winner?”

A shiver runs down Minho’s spine.

He leans away, laughing, and he hopes it’s enough to cover for the hammering heart in his chest. “Too bad, Jisung, that one is a tie.”

The week is always too short and before they know it, everyone is packing their things and reviewing any harm done to the camp. The kids have left the previous day around noon, and they worked their butts off to return the campground to its tidy version.

They ended up huddled in the main clubroom, playing various games, and entertaining each other with stories and performances they would have been too embarrassed to perform in front of the kids. Like this, with just the team around, it’s fun.

But everything has to come to an end, and the night does too.

What they’re faced with now is the harsh morning.

At least Minho got to witness Jisung falling asleep tonight and dared to request a good night kiss that the younger gladly provided after a shorter flustered back and forth.

Now that he’s thinking about it, standing above their suitcases and bags, checking everything off the list, he kind of wants another one. That’s the thought that prompts him to look up at Jisung who is resting on his bed, staring at Minho wordlessly.

“A worm in your head?” he asks softly, waving a hand in front of his face.

“I’m just reflecting,” Jisung answers, sounding fond. Minho sits down beside him, slipping one arm around his waist, waiting for Jisung’s reaction. The younger leans into his side. “Whatever I expected of this, I gained so much more.”

“A boyfriend, for one,” Minho supplies, humming into Jisung’s hair.

“That, yeah,” Jisung agrees, giggling sheepishly. “And much more, even experience if we’re bold enough to call it that.”

Minho thinks back on the previous week, wondering about the answer. If anything, it’s Minho who gained experience with getting Jisung out of troubles and learning about all the unexpected situations one can get themselves into if they’re not careful. 

“No, we definitely aren’t,” Minho laughs. “You’ll have to spend more than a week in a camp to claim any experience with nature.”

“I dare to say that’s more than enough,” Jisung argues back. “I bet I would have earned myself at least 3 badges.”

And once again, Jisung proves to not know how things roll. They’re not an official scout camp, not yet at least, and so they don’t give out badges. But the thought of Jisung in a scout uniform and a sash full of shiny badges brings warmth to his chest.

He _did_ look cute in his clothes before, maybe Minho’s old uniform would fit. 

He returns his attention to Jisung’s face, and realises the younger is beaming at him. He’s waiting for an approval, _yes, you would look absolutely adorable that way._

As if.

Minho doesn’t answer, trailing kisses from his temple to his chin. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Hm?”

“Good memories,” he prompts, recalling their first conversation. Jisung seemed determined enough to enjoy the camp, and surprisingly, it has gone through better than either of them expected, if the satisfied look that crosses his features is anything to go by.

“Oh,” Jisung nods, eyes trailing towards Minho’s hand that’s idly resting by his side before he reaches forward to intertwine their fingers. “Yeah, definitely.”

“Then it was worth it,” he concludes. 

“Of course it was,” Jisung agrees, delighted. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve spent a day without my phone ever in my life, and getting a boyfriend isn’t something that happens every day either.”

“I do hope not,” Minho stresses, then breaks out into laughter when Jisung stabs him in the ribs with their linked hands. “Why are you so cute?”

“Is that all you think about me?”

“No, surely not,” Minho shakes his head. “But it’s the most prominent thing.”

“Hey,” the younger huffs in annoyance. His cheeks puff out adorably. “Actually– this will sound weird, but what did you think of me the first day? A first impression. Was I cute?”

“Hm, we could say that,” Minho agrees hesitantly. He was most definitely a klutz, but he might have called him cute, even then. “What about me?”

“You were too handsome for your own good,” he admits, “but eventually, I realised you’re just a nerd.” Minho throws him a dirty look, startling a laugh out of him. “Which is who I ended up falling in love with, right?”

That sounds way too direct and honest, for such a nonchalant comment. It makes Minho’s heart tighten. “Right,” he nods along.

“…that’s not weird, right?” Jisung blushes.

“No,” Minho replies, allowing himself to smile fondly at the younger as he lifts one hand to caress his cheek. “I have no right to judge, I fell in love with a dummy.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> you will think I’m kidding when I say the only thing that pushed me through and towards the end are exponential functions but I’m not. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, kudos & comments are appreciated!
> 
> [Find me on twitter](https://twitter.com/anknown_an)


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